Of Scales and Water
by Oh-snap-moron-ballet-mafia
Summary: The sea has been taken under siege by a great monster. Merpeople have all but vanished and it is up to one young merman to go to the surface world and find the ocean's last hope; the lost Princess. Can he successfully protect her until she comes of age or will he die trying? And will a Princess fall in love with her unknown protector?
1. chapter 1

Prologue

His chest was burning as he forced his muscles to move him even faster through the water. His lungs ached for a break and his tail was beginning to tire from the full speed chase he was on. But he couldn't stop. Stopping wasn't an option and no matter how difficult it was for him to maintain such a top speed for so long, he would not let himself get captured.

A quick glance over his shoulder verified his pursuer was still on his tail. The large hammerhead shark wasn't going to give up easily either and the young merman grumbled under his breath. He'd just have to outsmart him somehow, that's all. Glancing at his surroundings with keen emerald eyes, he swiftly and suddenly veered right, perfectly maneuvering his lean and agile body between rocks and coral, just barely slipping through the small crack before the sharks teeth could snatch at his tail.

He paused for merely a second, just long enough to catch his breath and see if he was in the clear only to speed off once more as the shark found another way around. He had only earned himself a small lead but it was enough. It was going to have to be if he intended to arrive home safe and sound.

Another swift flick of his deep seaweed green tail and he vanished around a bend. The shark followed, expecting to see the merman's tail only to find the ocean before him empty. Knowing full well a merman couldn't disappear, he began searching the crevices in the the rocks and coral carefully and diligently. After several minutes of his large eyes not spotting his prey he slowly continued on his way, hoping perhaps he'd find the half-fish further ahead, leaving the area in peace.

The ocean was quiet for some time, when a certain patch of particularly dark seaweed began to move. It was the merman. His green, near black hair camouflaged him perfectly amongst the other water herbs and he quickly made his escape, his short brake having given him the strength to race home in record time.

Finally arriving at the familiar gorge he lived in, he dove down until he reached a round rock. He knocked a rhythmic thrum softly on it and in a few seconds, it opened to reveal a long dark tunnel, only slightly wide enough to where the young merman wasn't struggling. A few twists and turns and false side tunnels, he finally made his way into a large cavern where he let out the breath he had been holding.

"Trouble?" a familiar and obviously distracted voice called out from further in the cavern.

"Yeah. A hammerhead spotted me," the merman explained, slowly making his way around to where the voice's owner was sure to be. Spotting an older merman with long white hair, a beard and a colorful cloak around his shoulders, the younger merman swam up to him and placed the satchel he had been carrying on a coral table to his left. "But I still got everything you asked for."

"Good, those ingredients are very important," he murmured, his voice typically sing-songy now brooding and uncertain. "I'm just glad you're not injured, Fakir."

"I was lucky to get away at all," Fakir grumbled. "But, you were right. I naturally camouflaged myself with the seaweed. Plus I used those maneuvers you showed me. I'm glad I remembered them."

"As am I," the older merman chuckled. "Now, will you hand me the fire coral and sea anemone? I'm almost finished."

The dark haired merman did as he was told and hovered nearby, watching what the older merman was doing. Inside a large shell was a strange elixir that glowed a violet color. It was clearly denser than the sea water which made Fakir concerned and confused. Even though he had known this man his entire life, the strange magic his grandfather made always baffled him. Most was rather innocent, like the potion he used to grow food in days instead of months or the pheromones he would make to attract larger fish and capture for whatever reason or another. But this spell was far more complicated than any of the others Fakir had witnessed before and the implications made him tense. What kind of spell would be taking his grandfather so long to produce and what would it be used for?

He hovered there, hoping by staring at the concoction long enough, he would get the answer, only for his grandfather to look at him in annoyance. "Please don't float so close. I am trying to concentrate."

The younger merman blinked in surprise and moved back slightly. "Won't you tell me what this is for?"

"You'll find out soon, now please, I must concentrate."

Without another word, his grandfather got back to work, leaving his grandson to his own devices. The younger merman swam aimlessly about the cavern, picking up things that may have somehow been knocked over, cleaning up any mess that had been left from the previous day, yet all he had on his mind was that elixir. He despised how his grandfather would never tell him what was going on until the last minute and he ended up sinking down onto the large cushioned shell they had turned into a 'couch' of sorts. He stared blankly up at the cavern's ceiling and let his thoughts wander, the only sound being his grandfather's mumbling from the other side of the room and the poof of a magical reaction.

He didn't mind the quiet. After 14 years of solitude, he was used to it. In fact, he prefered it. After having an encounter as he had earlier that day, some peace and quiet was well deserved and he closed his eyes, hoping to calm his mind enough to take a nap. He barely got maybe twenty minutes before a ruckus from his grandfather jolted him awake.

"Fakir! Get over here now! There's no time to waste!"

Fakir nearly fell from his couch from sheer surprise, but quickly gathered himself and swiftly swam to his grandfather who was rummaging around frantically.

"What is it? Is everything okay?"

"You need to get moving now," his grandfather growled. "They will be here any minute now that this is finished." He tossed a small, emerald pearl with black twine wrapped around it at the boy, barely giving him time to react. "Put it on. Hurry."

Fakir was utterly bewildered by the change of pace but did as his grandfather ordered. He tied the black twine around his neck and let the gem naturally settle between his collar bones.

"What is this thing? How do you know they will find us?"

"Turn around," he barked, forcing his grandson to face away from him. He mumbled something under his breath as he traced his finger along the young man's shoulders and down his back, causing a foreign feeling to wash over the merman. "These will help you."

"Help me? What am I going to be doing that'll…" his grandfather cut him off.

"You will be going on land. There is a very important mission I need you to do there and these objects will assist you."

"What are you talking about? What does this do? And what did you do to my back?"

His grandfather grabbed the satchel from earlier and began tossing all sorts of supplies and trinkets in as he began to finally explain, "That pearl will allow you to be human. So, even if you are to touch water, you will not change back. And the spell on your back is a weapon."

"A weapon? You expect me to fight someone?"

"You'll have to, I'm afraid. If you want to successfully protect her that is."

"Her? Who is her? And why are you only now telling me I'm going to be protecting someone? You never mentioned it before," Fakir argued, fed up with how little he was ever told.

"The Princess."

Fakir's eyes grew wide and he fell silent. The Princess? His grandfather had to be kidding.

"The Princess? But...she's gone. She was killed with her parents what...15 years ago?" The look on his grandfather's face made him pause. "Wasn't she?"

"That's what I wanted everyone to believe, but I hid her. I sent her to live amongst the humans until she was old enough to return. Once she reaches 16, she'll have the power to take back the throne and return peace to the ocean. But, I'm going to need you to protect her until then. The closer she gets to 16, the easier she'll be to find and we don't want the king to find and kill her before she is ready."

There was just so much information that Fakir could hardly retain it all. The Princess was alive and he had to protect her so the king didn't kill her before… It was a bit too much to take in and he fell back against the table.

"Why didn't you tell me this was your plan all along? And why me? I'm not trained to protect anyone and I'm inexperienced on land. I'm more than likely going to fail."

"I picked you because you adapt exceptionally well and you are near her age. Sending a full grown merman to watch over a young girl of 15 would be quite suspicious, don't you think? I've had many years to think about this, and you are the best choice, if not the only choice."

His grandfather's logic was sound and he rubbed at his temples, processing everything. Princess, protect, king, fight… So many things to think about all at once, but he finally was able to grasp it and he sighed. "Okay, so how do I find her? Where is she, what does she look like and how am I going to fit in? I know nothing of the human world."

"I thought about that too," his grandfather grinned and quickly handed the younger merman the satchel and a piece of paper. "This is a map to where you will find the town she lives in. She will be wearing a ruby pearl just like yours, but also, she will have two companions whom I sent with her, also wearing pearls. They will not know anything about who they are or where they came from, so please try not to tell her who she is. Once she knows, the king will instantly know where to find her. Also, on this map is the location and secret underwater entrance of a friend who I know will help you. Her name is Edel. She was a friend of mine many years ago, so simply tell her Drosselmeyer sent you and explain why you're there. She'll do the rest. Now...is there anything else I'm forgetting?"

Just then, the walls of the cavern shook and several rocks began to fall towards the two.

"They've found us," Drosselmeyer stated, suddenly pushing his grandson towards the far wall. "You must hurry. You can't let them catch you or everything I've worked for will have been for naught. Now go."

"But what about you? Aren't you coming with me?"

"I'll hold them off and give you some extra time to escape. You're our last stand to fighting off the king. Now go, and do be careful."

Another crash of rocks before Drosselmeyer tapped on five seperate rocks in a quick pattern and the wall opened up to reveal an even smaller tunnel than the one to get in, making Fakir pause.

"You'll fit. Now go before they see you," the older merman ordered and pushed his grandson into the hole.

Fakir didn't even have time to look back before the wall closed behind him and he began to shimmy through the tight space. He could still feel the tremors from within the cavern and even as he began to reach the end, he could hear the ruckus of large enemies finally breaking through the solid rock wall. With one last push, he was out of the tunnel, flipping from the shear force he had to use to escape, and he begrudgingly looked back. He swallowed, knowing his grandfather wasn't going to follow, and forced himself to swiftly swim away without another glance at the only home he had ever known.

Well, great. I'm starting a new story. Hopefully I'll actually finish this one. I mean, I like what i have planned and hopefully u will too.

So, I guess I'll see you in the next chapter. Bye. XD


	2. New Friends

"Wow, isn't he just amazing?"

The beach was crowded with sunbathers, picnickers, surfers and all other assortment of beach lovers. Many of those such beach lovers were kids, teenagers mostly, enjoying the start to their summer vacation, three of which were enjoying something a little different. Out in the water were young surfers the three girls were enjoying watching, well, to be more precise, one surfer in particular. A young man of seventeen with bleach blonde hair shredding the waves like a pro. He was actually the favorite of many girls on the beach and so had quite an enthralled audience.

"You think he'll take the surf team to state this year?" one of the three girls, one with magenta hair, asked as she leaned on a volleyball.

"If he doesn't, I can't wait for all the torment he goes through senior year for letting everyone down," a girl with blonde pigtails sighed happily. "How wonderfully tragic it'll be."

"No way. Mytho will take the team to state, and he'll win too," the third girl, with long red hair pulled back into a braid stated defiantly. "He's been working hard all year. There's no way he'll lose."

"Is that so? Well, I'm sure a confession of love will only help him win, dontcha think, Ahiru?" the magenta haired girl smirked.

Ahiru turned bright red and quickly waved her hands in front of her. "N-n-no no way, Pique. I could never tell him. He'd never pick someone like me. I mean why would he? As perfect as he is. He deserves a girl like...her."

The three girls looked at who Ahiru was pointing at and Pique sighed. The girl in question was tall, slender in figure with ankle long golden blonde hair and looked absolutely stunning in her red and white bikini. Many boys were ogling her and it was obvious she knew the attention she was drawing to herself which only made the situation seem even more hopeless.

Ahiru, with her petite build and scrawny limbs, was no match for her and even Pique, was who a bit taller and curvier, couldn't hold a light to the girl's natural grace. As for the third girl, Lilliae, she wasn't trying to impress anyone. She mostly enjoyed watching the surfers wipeout and laughing at other people's misfortune. She was a strange one, but her two friends accepted her anyway.

It was all Pique could do to not grow depressed from Ahiru's slumped form, but she put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and explained, "Well, think of it this way. She may have the looks, but because you've been friendzoned, you can hangout with him whenever and simply pretend you're on a date. She can't have that."

"You know, for some reason, that doesn't actually help," Ahiru stated indignantly.

"Poor adorable Ahiru," Lilliae squealed as she grabbed her red headed friend's face and squeezed her cheeks. "You'll never be happy. But then that means I can cheer you up even more."

"Still not helping," Ahiru mumbled through squished lips.

Just then, a yell and loud crash was heard from the surf and they all looked to see that the subject of their focus had just fallen into the water and they all jumped to their feet. After just a few seconds, the familiar bleach blonde of his hair popped back above the water and two out of the three let out a sigh of relief. Lilliae mumbled a 'drat' under her breath and both ginger and magenta haired girls turned to look at her in concerned disgust.

"What?" she shrugged. "He's not hurt."

"You worry me," Pique grumbled and they all headed to the shoreline as Mytho trudged out of the waves, surfboard under one arm.

He had a big grin on his face and only laughed as he met up with another boy, also seventeen, with peacock blue hair and glasses. He was not nearly as amused.

"Man, what a wipeout, huh Autor?"

Autor pushed up his glasses and crossed his arms. "You're lucky you got out of that in one piece. I advise you to be more careful with your footing. You are always getting too distracted." As if to make his point, Mytho watched a group of bikini clad girls walk by, his stare causing them to giggle. "You need to pay attention to the waves more than the sand...and the people on it. Are you even listening to me!?"

"Lighten up, Autor. It's summer. Let me live a little," Mytho chuckled.

"You asked me to coach you during the summer and that's what I'm trying to do. Now pay attention. The reason you wiped out was because you were only watching the waves. You need to feel them too. The pull, the churning of the currents and most of all, the swell. You are not trying to fight them. Let the natural flow of the water lead you. It'll make everything so much..."

"Nagging him again, Autor?" Pique called as the three girls drew closer.

"As I was explaining to him, I am not nagging, I'm..."

"Hey, girls," Mytho greeted cheerfully.

"Gnarly wipeout," Lilliae giggled. "You wouldn't happen to be hurt would you?"

"Nope, just drank some sea water, that's all."

"I swear you just get better every day," Ahiru said, a bit shyly. "Even your wipeouts are getting less and less."

"Thanks, Ahiru," Mytho smiled and rubbed the back of his head. "That's what I'm hoping for."

"What do you think your chances for state is going to be this year?" Pique piped up again after hip bumping Autor out of the way. "I think it's looking pretty good, but I'm not the expert."

"Well, before I was so rudely interrupted," Autor practically snarled. "I was just giving Mytho some tips on how to improve. If he follows them then he'll have a good chance...if he goes to state. The rest of the team might be a lost cause."

"They're not that bad," Mytho defended sheepishly.

"And that's why you're the only one asking for my help this summer. Oh yeah, they really care about giving it their all."

"Why don't you surf, Autor?" Ahiru asked suddenly. "I mean, you know what you're talking about and you could probably be just as good as Mytho in no time, and it's clearly something you're interested in, so..."

"I'd need to get special contacts and they're expensive. And before you tell me I can get prescription goggles, I am not going to make a fool of myself by wearing stupid goggles in a sport where no one else wears them."

The other four just looked at each other and shrugged before Mytho completely changed the subject and asked, "So, who wants a smoothie? I could go for a smoothie."

"Only if you're paying!" Lilliae cried as the group of five headed up the beach to the smoothie stand, completely unaware their summer was going to be one they were certain to remember.

Powerful jaws snapped impossibly close to the end of his emerald tail. He could feel the tip of the shark's nose brush against his fin and he pushed himself to go faster. As far as he could tell, he was still going to right way. The map was pretty accurate, he had already passed the rock arch and the kelp forest, now he was just looking for the reef with the purple coral. It shouldn't be that hard to find, he figured, considering purple coral was rather difficult to find, but why did he have to be spotted, again? These chases were excruciating and monotonous and just out right exhausting. Couldn't he have a break for just a day?

He twisted around some rock spires, getting a small lead, when, after turning a corner, he found himself amongst a reef. He hoped it was the one he was looking for and pushed forward, his pursuer still on his tail. His eyes scanned the reef, trying to find the purple coral, when he nearly ran into a rock wall. It just seemed to come out of nowhere and he was lucky he hadn't run face first into it. Not to mention, it didn't look natural. It seemed someone had stacked hundreds of enormous rocks on top of each other in a long line. Was it some sort of territory barrier? Somebody's property line? He had no idea and with one quick glance behind him, he knew he didn't have time to think about it.

The shark was still coming full speed at him and, after swiftly pulling together an idea, he waited until the shark was nearly on top of him before racing out of the way. The shark had no time to stop and rammed into the rocks, his nose clearly crumbling in on itself, and soon a stream of red traveled up to where the merman was hovering. Blood. That only meant there were going to be more sharks soon. He had to find shelter before they arrived and find him and without wasting another minute, he went to the surface for the first time in his life.

His breath caught in his throat as he took his first breath of non-hydrated oxygen and he paused as he realized that the rock wall went way above the water as well. He couldn't see over it. Now he had to find out if he could go around it. To his right, it was obvious there was just land, thus leaving his only option being his left. Swimming carefully just under the surface of the water, he finally found the end of the jetty and carefully peaked above the water once again, this time his breath catching for an entirely different reason.

Humans! So many humans. There were humans on boats, floating over the surface of the water, humans standing on boards that sliced across the waves and humans sitting, standing and, was it, walking on the yellow sand. Humans couldn't live in the water like he could and yet they found so many other ways of enjoying the sea. It was kind of impressive, but he had to keep moving. He could enjoy humans' innovations later. Now he just had to find the Edel person.

Dunking back under the water, he pulled out the map and found where he was. Two jetties jutted out into the sea and since he had already passed one, he just had to pass one more and he'd be able to find this entrance. Shoving the map back into the satchel, he swiftly sliced through the water, quickly passing the second jetty and soon came upon the last landmark. Now that he had found the submerged statue of a barnacle encrusted mermaid, he found the twin coral towers and knocked the same rhythm as his home's entrance on a moss covered stone and just like his home, it lifted open and he squeezed through the opening, taking one quick glance back to make sure no one had seen him.

He swam through the tunnel, but unlike his home's it was surrounded by colorful corals and sea plants, making it seem welcoming. After a few shallow turns, he found himself at the bottom of a deep underground lake and waiting above him, on the shore, appeared to be the figure of a person. He hoped to high heaven that this was the person he was supposed to meet and he cautiously swam to the surface. His head slowly broke through the surface of the water and he came face to face with a woman with lime green hair pulled up into an extravagant bun. She didn't react in any way he might have expected a human to react when first meeting a merman, but her calm smile only seemed to make him even more tense.

"Well," she spoke suddenly. "I don't get very many visitors here. And young mermen either. So, to whom do I owe the pleasure?"

"Um..." he glanced around the dim cave, not sure what to find, before answering, "Fakir. My grandfather sent me. Are you..."

"What's your grandfather's name?"

He was startled by her bluntness but still responded. "Drosselmeyer. He told me to come here to find..."

"Edel, I'm assuming." She smiled at his surprised reaction and continued. "I am she, Fakir. Now, what could Drossy possibly be sending a young merman here for?"

Drossy? he thought, quickly deciding to just explain everything like his grandfather had instructed. "He sent me here because the Princess is here and now that she's getting older, he said it'll be easier for the King to find her and kill her and that I need to protect her until she turns sixteen so that she can finally gain her full power and bring peace back to the ocean." He inhailed sharply as he finished and waited anxiously for her response. I seriously hope I didn't just tell all that to the wrong person.

Edel was silent for a moment, clearly thinking over everything he had just said, before smiling sweetly and relaxing. "Well then, if that's all, then I suppose you'll need to learn how to be human. I see that you have a pearl. No doubt, one of your grandfather's favorite spells. Now, come along. You have a lot to learn before you can go out into the world."

Fakir stopped as she began walking away and he was about to say something when she turned around and smirked at him. "What? Don't tell me he forgot to tell you how to use that."

He nodded shamefully.

"It's quite simple. Merely think about becoming human, and you will. Perhaps you should sit up here, to do that. First time getting legs will be unusual and you most likely will not know how to swim with them. Come on," she patted the stone next to her feet and he jumped up onto it, his fins the only thing still in the water.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, concentrating on being human. Was it really as simple as just thinking it? There had to something more to it, right? Well, when he opened his eyes again, instead of his emerald tail were two fleshy legs the same olive shade as the the rest of his skin and he had a panic attack.

He jumped away, terrified of his new limbs and ended up with his back pressed firmly against the stone wall, the satchel he hadn't taken off yet being the only thing keeping him from complete nudity (although Edel wouldn't have been too against it herself, wink). He was breathing hard, nearly hyperventilating, as he stared, petrified, at the foreign limbs.

"Now, now," Edel chuckled. "It's not that bad."

"They're hideous!" he cried. "I don't want them. Is there some way to do this without...these?"

"Well, what else did he say about your mission? Maybe all you have to do is watch her from the water."

"Um..." his eyes were glued to his legs as he thought and he tried to calm his racing heart. "She'll have two friends...uh...they'll have pearls like mine...and...um..."

"Will she know?"

"What?" he looked up.

"Will she know? Who she is. Will she know she's the Princess?"

He thought back to what his grandfather said and shook his head no. "He said she can't know who she is or the King will certainly find her. Why?"

"Well, then, I guess you're going to have to use legs. If she doesn't know who she is, then you can't very well protect a human from the sea."

Fakir's head leaned back against the rock wall as he realized he was stuck. Either put up with legs or fail the mission before he had even started. His shoulders slumped in exasperation and he groaned in annoyance. At least he was no longer trying to get away from his own body.

"Fine..." he grumbled and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'll just have to deal with them then. But...I have no idea how to use them. Will it take me long to get used to them?"

"It depends. But you certainly won't get anywhere by sitting on your butt all day. I'll get you some clothes and we can get started on training you how to walk."

"Wait...what are clothes?"

It was too late. The older woman was already gone, leaving him alone in the damp cavern. The water from the lake splashed soothingly on the stone and he found himself already missing home and wondering if his grandfather had gotten away safely or at all. He just hoped the old merman was still alive in the very least and it wasn't too long before the woman came back holding what he assumed were 'clothes'.

She dropped them in his arms and explained, "You're going to want to always keep at least your lower half clothed at all times. It is indecent for any human to be naked in public."

"Indecent?" he repeated as he looked at the bundle in his arms.

Whatever, he thought and used the wall behind him to get to a standing position. And for the first time since he switched to legs, the satchel moved from its place in front of his crotch and he stared in shock at what he saw. He had never seen anything like it before and it was even more disgusting than his legs. All he could seem to do was stare in mortified awe when he heard Edel chuckling and he looked up, not sure if he needed to be angry or afraid.

"What is that?" he pointed to his crotch, not at all amused.

She chuckled again. "That is what those are meant to cover. Now hurry up. We haven't got all day now have we?"

He watched as she walked up the stairs and out of the cavern again and he begrudgingly began trying to figure out how to wear 'clothes'. It took all his patience just to get on what he assumed were supposed to cover that monstrosity and just as he finished pulling the shorts over his waist, one of his ankles went out on him and he fell to the ground with a thud. Soft footsteps echoed on the stone steps as Edel quickly made her way back down, swiftly rushing to the merman and helping him to a sitting position, checking that he wasn't majorly injured. Just a scrape on his chin, elbow and both knees. Nothing she couldn't fix.

"I'm so sorry," she quickly apologized. "I probably shouldn't have left you like that. Let me get something for those scratches."

She walked over to a shell shaped cupboard and rummaged around until she found a blue bottle. She knelt back next to him as he gripped at one of his bleeding knees and she poured one drop of the liquid in the bottle on the injury. He flinched as it stung, but in the next second it was gone. She then did the same to each of his other injuries, soon completely taking away any hint that he had hurt himself. He rubbed at where the injury on his chin had just been and quietly thanked her, ashamed for having done something so foolish.

She sighed before getting up and putting the bottle away. Just as she shut the cupboard, she suddenly mentioned, "That's a very powerful spell on your back. You probably don't know how to use that one either, do you?"

"Huh?" he tried to look at whatever was on his back and shrugged. "My grandfather said it was a weapon but once again, he told me nothing on how to use it."

"Typical," she smirked and turned to him. "Well, I hope you never have to use it, but in case you do, just reach back and mimic grabbing the weapon and then it will appear in your hand. Try it."

These spells were so odd, but he did as he was told, reaching back as if to grab something and when he pulled his hand back he found, gripped firmly in his fist, a long, silver sword with two white dolphins engraved into the pommel. He stared at it, marveling at the craftsmanship and how lightweight it was. For something as big and sturdy as this weapon was, it almost felt like there was nothing in his hand. He wobbly got back to his feet and gave the sword a few slices through the air to get a feel for it, still amazed by how easy it was to wield.

Edel smiled knowingly and walked around him as he practiced with the sword. "My dear Drosselmeyer certainly knows what works best for you, doesn't he? And, it seems, the best part is, when you have it sheathed, no one will have any idea it's real."

"What do you mean?" he stopped and turned to her.

"Put it back and I'll show you."

As he repeated the original action, only the reverse, to put the spell back on his back, Edel brought out a mirror and carefully led the boy the another mirror on the other end of the room. She held up the mirror in such a way so he could see his back and he was baffled to see the same sword now seemingly drawn directly onto his skin with black ink, fading under the waistline of his shorts.

"How will no one know this is a real sword? It looks just like it."

"The humans have something called tattoos. Permanent ink drawings engraved right into their skin. Most look just like this so even if someone were to see this, they'll just think you have a tattoo. You'll need to make sure that's all they think it is."

Edel turned and seemed to head back to the stairs when Fakir spoke up with a question that seemed to have plagued his mind since he had gotten there.

"How do you know all about this? Are you a mermaid?"

She stopped and, with a sad smile, responded, "I was. But not anymore. Now come along. We don't have much time before you must go and find the Princess. It would appear time is of the essence."

Fakir blinked as she continued up the stairs without another word and couldn't help wonder what that could mean. This woman, who his grandfather seemed to put so much faith into, just brushed off his question and walked away. If she really was a mermaid, why was she here? An adult mermaid would be extremely powerful. Why was she hiding on land? And being able to use potions and magic? Taking on the King would be easy.

But until she decided to tell him her story, he would just have to trust his grandfather's judgement and believe in this woman's ability to help him. And just thinking about how much rested on him to keep some girl he had never met safe, it was already stressing him out. He was nervous before but now that he had had some time to rest and was no longer being chased, the realization of his task was honestly terrifying. What would happen if he failed? Would he even be able to find her? What if he ended up finding the wrong girl? Or she was already dead?

He shook his head. Ugh, all these doubts were just going to distract him. He WAS going to find her and he WASN'T going to fail. The Princess WILL live to sixteen and she WILL return peace to the sea. She had to. If she didn't... He didn't want to think about that and ran a worried hand through his hair. He quickly pulled his hand back with realization. Now that his hair was drying out, leaving it down would be a problem. He couldn't very well protect the Princess if he couldn't see. Hopefully Edel could do something about it.

"Are you coming!?" Edel's voice broke through his thoughts and he looked in their direction with surprise. "Also, put that shirt on too. Taking you shopping will be difficult without that."

Shirt? Shopping? What on earth were all these words she kept throwing at him? Well, from context clues, he figured the shirt was whatever that secondary thing she had given him was and shopping...well, he'll just have to wait and see. He stumbled over to where he had dropped the other piece of clothing and, after slipping his satchel off, eventually figured out how to put the shirt on. It took a few trials and errors, but he soon realized the open part went to the front, and the closed part to the back while his arms went through the two holes on the back...or was it the sides? Either way, he finally began his escalation up the stairs, making sure to keep his satchel with him at all times. He had no idea what could be in there that he would want with him.

New chapter guys!!!! Yay!!! So...how do y'all feel about a Pique/Autor pairing? I think it could be fun. An interesting dynamic to be sure.

Also, im going to try to get at least one chapter out every 2 days at the most. I'm going to finish this story dagnabit!!!! And near the end, I'm gonna ask what story you guys will want me to do next. And as for the other ones I haven't finished...it's because I'm stuck. Maybe doing this will help get me out of my writter's block.

So...until next time, slaters. XD


	3. An Unexpected Meeting

"So, you girls have any plans for this summer?" Mytho casually asked before taking a sip of his yellowish smoothie. "You're going to be juniors next year, right? Any thoughts about colleges?"

"Ugh," Ahiru groaned. "That's all my parents have been hounding me about. Unlike you, I won't get a scholarship for anything. I'm just not good at anything."

"Don't say that," the blonde boy smiled. "Maybe you just haven't found that special something you're really good at. I mean, I didn't start surfing until I was a freshmen and now look at me. I had no idea I would be any good. You just gotta keep looking."

"That's great advice," Lilliae piped up, bouncing along next to the two. "But our sweet little Ahiru is just terrible at everything. I know. She's tried. Everything. And she failed at all of it."

"Just so you know, trying everything is impossible," Autor stated, pushing his glasses up with one hand, a green smoothie in the other. "There are plenty of other things out there she can try if nothing so far works for her. And you call yourself her friend."

"That's what I've been saying," Pique whispered through clenched teeth into the blue haired boy's ear. "And besides, things take time. You think Mytho gave up the first time he wiped out? Getting good at things takes practice, that's all."

"I know, but look at me. You'd think after fifteen years of being alive I'd at least know how to walk in a straight line and yet..." she pointed to a Band-aid on her left knee and sighed. "I can't even do that right."

"But being clumsy is just who you are," Mytho grinned. "And I for one would never want to change anything about you."

Ahiru's cheeks flamed red as she spoke shyly into her smoothie straw, "Really?"

"Really."

Could his golden eyes be any more perfect? He was just so amazing and nice even to someone like her who really didn't deserve his kindness and all she could do was gaze at him with admiration and longing from afar. For no matter how nice he was to her, he would never look at her the way he looked at other girls...like the group of four walking towards them that second.

The boy of her dreams had started another conversation with the boy beside him, but how could she listen to a thing they said when he turned around to walk backwards so he could flirt with the girls as they passed, knowing she would never be at the receiving end of it. And it seemed her downturned mood caught the attention of her magenta haired friend as that wonderfully familiar reassuring hand rested on her shoulder once again.

"Don't worry," she whispered. "Just give him time. He might fall for you yet."

"I doubt it, but...thanks, Pique," she smiled softly. "I appreciate it."

Thank goodness it was Pique who had noticed her saddened mood, for if it was Lilliae, she wouldn't have been nearly as subtle about it and the last thing she needed was Mytho to know how heart broken she was whenever he gave other girls that winning grin. Keeping her feelings a secret was all she could do. Even though he was nice to her, reputation was a lot to him and knowing his family, they certainly wouldn't be too pleased to have him dating such a scrawny little no one with no talent. Well, maybe that wasn't said or anything, but she could feel it whenever she would go to his house, the way they almost seemed to look down on his choice of friends. It made her feel small and unfortunately, Mytho never really said anything in their defense, nor in their favor either, which meant he was walking a tightrope. Afraid that if he said the wrong thing he could either lose the people he had called friends since he was a child or be grounded from everything by his parents. A tough choice, so he simply walked the middle ground.

But, like Pique had said, at least being friendzoned allowed her the ability to hangout with him, something that the girls he flirted with never really got the chance to do. Some comfort to a tragic love life, she figured.

And just as she was thinking about how lucky she was to spend time with him he looked down at his water-proof watch and gasped. "Dang it! I forgot. My parents wanted me home before three. I gotta go. I'll see you all later. Same time tomorrow, Autor?"

"Yup," the blue haired boy responded as Mytho began to jog off.

"Later guys."

"Bye, Mytho!" Ahiru called, almost as a last pleading cry for his attention, only to get a wave in return. Her eyes fell and she mumbled, "See you tomorrow."

"You know he's not going to ask you out, right?" Autor questioned.

"Now you're just being rude!" Pique snapped, hands on her hips. "We know he's not going to, but you don't have to be such a jerk about it."

He flinched as she smacked his arm and quickly explained, "He's not going to be dating anyone, I mean. Not this summer. You know how busy his parents are going to be making him? What, with the search for colleges and a job and the extra chores they're having him do? His only real get away is surfing."

The three girls went quiet at the explanation.

"Plus," he continued, "it's probably why he's been flirting so much recently. Guess he's trying to get as much girl time in before all his time is taken up with...other things."

"If he wants girl time we could just lock him a room with Ahiru until one of them snaps and just has to pounce on the other," Lilliae squealed with a dreamy look on her face. "That would be so exciting and someone might end up leaving crying. I hope it's Ahiru."

All three looked at her with questioning looks and Pique then decided to bop her on the head with a firm hit with her fist.

"Nobody is going to be crying," she confidently stated. "And certainly not from what you're hoping for."

"She worries me," Autor murmured getting concerned nods from the other two girls. "Anyway, since I don't want to be a suspect in whatever crime that one might come up with, I'm going to head home. I've got a few things I want to do myself, so...later."

"Bye, nerd," Pique snickered, getting a scowl from the bespectacled boy before he finally turned and walked away.

"He is a nerd, isn't he?" Lilliae chuckled, rubbing at her head. "Bet you're really into the nerdy types, huh, Pique?"

The magenta haired girl looked insulted and gaped at her blonde friend. "Excuse me? Are you suggesting I'm into Autor?"

"Why else do you tease him like that?" Ahiru muttered, hoping her friend didn't hear her.

"I tease him because he thinks he's just so perfect, Mr. Know-it-all, and someone needs to bring him down a peg."

"But...you do think he's cute, right?" Lilliae pushed.

"I do not!" Pique nearly screamed. "He's just a big useless dork with glasses and a weird habit for making sure his hair is perfect. I bet he's OCD, too."

"Did you hear that?" Ahiru whispered just loud enough to the blonde. "She thinks he has perfect hair."

"EEEEEE!!! Have you thought of him without his glasses too? You probably think he'd be super cute without those glasses," Lilliae fawned. "Those big blue eyes without those little bits of glass blocking your view. I bet you have dreams of that every night."

Now Pique was bright red, from anger or embarrassment, none of them knew, but it only made Lilliae's giggle fit get worse and even Ahiru found it entertaining, mostly due to finally not being on the receiving end of the blonde's taunting. And if Pique did have a crush on Autor, she wouldn't be too horribly against it. Her friends had every right to pursue their crushes even when she couldn't, right? And a little teasing couldn't hurt, especially when that's all they did to her concerning Mytho.

"You know what!?" Pique growled. "Let's go see Ms. Edel."

Well, that was sudden.

"Why?" Ahiru asked, silently hoping her blonde friend didn't accidentally kill herself laughing.

"With the boys gone, there's not really anything else left to do," the magenta haired girl explained. "And if it'll get you two off the subject of a crush I DO NOT have, then I'll be happy."

Ahiru didn't mind. Ms. Edel was always fun to go see. Her neat little trinkets were always so interesting and all those handcrafted pieces of jewelry. Her shop was so enchanting. It was like walking into another world. It may have just been the front living room of her home, but all the shells, smoothed down glass and oddly shaped gems she had hanging from anything and everything, Ahiru could stand and stare for hours and still find new things to be intrigued by. Without anymore hesitation, she started walking toward the little house on the hill, surrounded by sand dunes, reeds, windchimes and kites of fish, waving to her friends to follow.

It wasn't a very long trek to the little house and the girls began to gossip about what new things the woman might have for sale.

"Maybe she'll have a new shark tooth necklaces," Lilliae started. "With the shark still attached!"

"Doubt that," Pique grumbled. "But, maybe she'll have another dolphin statue. Remember that one she had a couple months ago? I wanted to get it so bad. Too bad it was too expensive."

"I kinda hope she has something to go with my necklace. Or maybe a three way best friend necklace, that would be so cool."

Absently, Ahiru had begun rubbing at the red pearl that hung from her neck, thinking about what she could add to it to spice things up. Since she had had the necklace for as long as she could remember, changing things up was very tempting, yet at the same time, she had a strange attraction to the jewel and she found herself unable to take it off. But what she thought was the coolest part, was that Pique and Lilliae also had pearls, a violet and pale green one respectively, almost like all their parents had gotten together when they were born and made sure they would become best friends. Or maybe it was just fate.

They finally reached the little white gate to Ms. Edel's home and just as they were about to open the small structure, a grey tabby with a red bow tie jumped up on top of the wooden posts, instantly getting all the attention he wanted.

"Hello, Mr. Cat," Ahiru giggled as he pushed his head into her scratching.

"And what brings you up here?" Pique asked in a mock scolding tone. "Aren't you a little far from home?"

"Oh, please," Lilliae scoffed. "Everyone knows nobody owns Mr. Cat. For all you know he came here for some loves from Ms. Edel. Or maybe he's trying to distract us so she can get rid of the body."

The two girls stopped and scowled at the third girl. She had quite the imagination and with a quick shake of her head, Pique pushed open the gate with the cat still on it, and headed up the stone path to the ocean blue door.

Ahiru gave the cat one last pat on the head and quickly followed, Lilliae not far behind. A little bell jingled as the three entered, seemingly stepping into a new world of color and beautiful sounds. The window was open slightly, giving the windchimes inside enough push to tinkle out a soft melody and to spin the gems and glass, sending orbs of semi-translucent light across the walls. Quickly, the girls went about and started their quest to find something they liked, completely unaware of the soft footsteps that came from the other room.

"Wow," Ahiru sighed as she lifted a delicately designed necklace with a large sand dollar and several tiny shells mixed into a pattern with little pink beads. "Pique, isn't this one so pretty?"

"Check this out," the girl responded, holding up a crown made of all sorts of shells. "If I wore this, you'll all have to call me your highness.I'd be your queen."

"Queen of what?" Lilliae giggled, holding two gems, one blue and one purple, in front of her eyes. "The worst fashion sense?"

The three giggled when a soft cough was heard behind them, startling them. "Hello, girls. Anything catch your fancy?"

Pique quickly put down the crown and put a hand over her heart. "Man, Ms. Edel. You scared the bejeezus out of me."

"Sorry about that," the woman smiled then turned her attention to Ahiru. "What have you got there?" Ahiru handed her the necklace to examine. "Ah, yes. I quite liked making this one. Found that sanddollar myself. They're quite difficult to find whole, you know."

She handed the necklace back and Ahiru agreed, smiling at the round shell. "You must have had to be really careful putting this hole in it. It might have shattered."

"It might have."

Just then, Lilliae squealed and raced to the back window. "Do you have anything new in the tide pool?! Can I go see?"

"Certainly."

The woman then followed the three girls outside to where she kept a shallow lava rock full of ocean water. Inside were all sorts of sea creatures ranging from sea urchins to sea anemones to clown fish and hermit crabs. Edel watched in amusement as the three girls pointed out different sea creatures, they're knowledge of the ocean and it's creatures above most who visited her shop, as the sound of grumbling came from her kitchen. She looked through one of her windows and spotted her sudden guest, still trying to gain his bearings in the new surrounds and simply chuckled to herself.

He was struggling to tie his hair back and in doing so, ended up banging his knee into one of the lower kitchen cabinets, catching the attention of the three girls outside and pulling them away from the tide pool.

"Codfoundit," he grumbled under his breath only to quickly raise his voice to call out, "Edel? Where are you?"

"I'm out here," she calmly replied, watching with great interest as the three girls waited and followed with their eyes the strange figure with curiosity.

"You could have told me you went outside," he sighed, still trying to understand how a hair tie was supposed to work. "But do you have anything else I could use? This thing isn't...working."

He froze. The moment he noticed three sets of eyes on him, everything just seemed to stop for him. He stopped fiddling with the hair tie, he stopped walking and even his brain stopped working. He had no thoughts except 'oh, no. Humans'. He wasn't ready to meet humans yet. He didn't know what to say to them or how to act or what could give him away and he quickly pulled his hands from his hair as if that would help, causing what was supposed to be a high ponytail to fall loosely at the nape of his neck.

For what seemed like forever, he stared at the three girls as they stared back at him, curiosity written all over their faces, when finally Edel spoke up.

"Ah, Fakir, you're just in time. Girls, I'd like you to meet my nephew, Fakir. He's visiting this summer from Montana," she paused and pushed Fakir forward slightly. "Go on, say hello."

Fakir could hardly breath. She expected him to talk to these human girls right after meeting them? She had to be insane. These girls could be secret minions to the King and could kill him any second. Sure, they looked like three fifteen year old girls, but... Wait. Three fifteen year old girls? They couldn't...could they?

He looked closer, mostly at their necks and sure enough, all three had pearls just like his, one violet, one pale green and one...ruby. He looked up at the girl with the ruby pearl and felt his stomach churn. She wasn't exactly what he had expected of a Princess - short, skinny and with a childlike face - but she was the Princess nonetheless. Her big blue eyes were nearly captivating as she stared at him and her long orange hair, pulled back into a braid, nearly reached her ankles. There were freckles splattered across all of her exposed skin - shoulders, arms, legs - and her skin was pale with just a slight hint of pink, like the inside of a seashell.

What were the odds that he would find her this quickly? He had barely been on land a few hours and he had already found the girl he was meant to protect and now a whole new problem arose; how on earth was he supposed to talk to her? She was the Princess, he should treat her with respect right? Maybe bow, but she wasn't supposed to know she was the Princess. It was an odd dilemma because if he spoke to her like a normal person, he would feel like he was being disrespectful, but if he was too formal, she might think he was weird or start asking questions. Gah! So little instruction, so much to do!

Finally he settled on a mumbled, "Hello," and forced himself to look away.

"You're going to have to forgive him," Edel chuckled. "He's a bit shy."

Pique almost couldn't hide her excitement. He was too darn cute! He was super good looking, in her opinion, and yet he could barely say hello. Shy and hot? He was like a dream come true and it took all of her self control to not tackle him and claim him for herself.

"Well, hi, Fakir," she grinned. "I'm Pique. It's really great to meet you."

"Uh...thanks." How was he supposed to respond to that? He had no idea since he never had any interactions outside of his grandfather. He hoped it was the correct one.

"I had no idea you had a nephew," Lilliae tilted her head. "Come on, be honest. You kidnapped him, didn't you?"

Fakir raised an eyebrow in confusion and concern when Edel just chuckled. "No, he's my nephew. I assure you."

"But why have you never mentioned him before?" Pique asked.

"I had no idea he would be coming to visit. If I had," Edel explained. "I would have told you girls."

As the others conversed more about why she had never brought him up, Ahiru could only stare. Her first thought was 'he doesn't look like he's from Montana', but it quickly changed to 'why does he keep looking at me?' Although he seemed distracted by Edel and the other girls for the moment, he kept stealing glances at the red head. He had no readable expression on his face so she wasn't exactly uncomfortable and the fact that he seemed shy like Edel had said made her very curious as to why he continued to look in her direction. She couldn't possibly be interesting to him. She was a scrawny little nothing who, up until now, hadn't said a thing to him. Maybe she was the one who was shy now. Perhaps even intimidated by him, what with his tall stature, neutral expression, broad shoulders and piercing green eyes. How do you talk to someone so far out of your league?

She was startled from her thoughts when Pique grabbed her shoulders from behind and whispered, "He is so freaking hot. Say something, Ahiru. I can't be the only one to talk to him."

"Wha…!?" Ahiru called out as she was pushed towards the much taller boy and it was all she could do to keep her knees from shaking. Why was he staring down at her like that? "Uh...h-hi. I'm Ahiru. Wel-welcome to Gold Crown. I-I hope you enjoy your time here."

He blinked several times. Was she nervous to talk to him? Why on Earth…

"Thanks," he murmured, having the hardest time breaking eye contact.

She was actually nervous, wasn't she? The way she bit her lip and tried to look anywhere but at him were huge giveaways, but why? Shouldn't a Princess, whether she knew it or not, be confident no matter what? What could she possibly be nervous about? It should be him stumbling over his words, and yet...she had a deep red tint across her cheeks. Her face could change color? How was she doing that?

All he could do was stare in confused awe, completely unaware of the magenta haired girl shaking her blonde friend in silent excitement. And the silence was getting too much. He decided to say something, anything, just to make things a little less awkward.

"So...you've lived here your whole life?" Ugh, what a stupid question. Of course she lived their her whole life. Idiot.

She looked up and shook her head yes, somewhat startled by his voice. "Yeah, it's nice here. I...I think you'll like it."

Edel's eyes lit up and she stepped forward. "Why don't you girls give him a tour of town tomorrow? Once he's settled in a bit. I'm sure seeing where other kids his age hangout will help him get adjusted, I think."

"That's a great idea!" Pique cried. "What time tomorrow should we come by?"

"Fakir? Any preferences?" the older woman asked.

He just shrugged, his gaze still seemingly glued to Ahiru. "Doesn't matter to me."

Ahiru swallowed. He was still staring at her. Could his eyes be anymore intense?

"How about 10? You could show him that little snack shack you kids always stop by," Edel smiled. "But I would like him back before 5, if that's okay."

"Sure thing, Ms. Edel," Pique grinned excitedly.

"That is if we don't 'accidentally' lose him," Lilliae snickered.

Edel raised an eyebrow and Pique quickly hushed her blonde friend. "Don't you worry. We'll have him back by five. Promise." She then grabbed Ahiru's arm and dragged her back through the house and out the door, waving and calling goodbye. Once outside, Pique stopped the redhead in her tracks and squealed. "Oh. My. GOD!! Did you see the way he was staring at you? I think he really likes you. You should totally ask him out."

"WHAT!!!?? No way!" Ahiru cried. "Are you kidding? There's no way I could do that."

"But he's cute."

"And way out of her league," Lilliae chuckled. "Poor little Ahiru. Doomed to never find love. That's why I'm here. To cheer you up and I'll never leave you. Ever. Until aaaaaalllll you're sadness is mine...er, gone."

"Pique raised an eyebrow and turned back to Ahiru. "Come on. You'll never know if he's out of your league unless you try."

"He probably already has a girlfriend, back in Montana," Ahiru grumbled. "And why would he go for me? Even Mytho won't look in my direction. And I've known him for like ever. I know nothing about this guy. Even if he is kinda cute."

"So you admit it? You think he's cute," Pique practically squealed again.

"I never denied it," Ahiru pouted and pushed past the two.

"Don't give up before you've even tried," her taller friend called after.

"But when you fail, I'll be right here to comfort you!" the blonde giggled.

Ahiru looked back with a forced smile. "Come on. If we are going to show him around, we better get everything ready."

"That's the spirit," Pique chuckled and followed the redhead, the blonde bouncing beside her.

Back at the house…

"Edel, that was her," Fakir started. "That was the Princess."

"Oh? Are you certain?" she asked, shutting the glass door behind them.

"Yes, everything my grandfather said was true. She was with two friends, all three were about fifteen years old and they each had pearls just like mine. And hers was ruby. It was her."

"Well, perhaps it's a good thing I've been keeping an eye on them," she smiled knowingly. "What, with them being mermaids and all."

"You knew?"

"Well, I knew they were mermaids. Those pearls gave it away the moment I first met them, but the fact that one of them is the lost Princess? It never crossed my mind."

"And you're having them show me around tomorrow," he muttered.

"A great way for you to nonchalantly get close to them. Perhaps become friends with them, that way keeping an eye on them will be easier," she grinned. "You did say Drosselmeyer wanted me to help you. So...I'm helping you."

He thought about what she said for a minute then looked down with a sigh. "I can't be friends with the Princess."

"And why not?"

"I'm a nobody. Once she returns to the sea, she'll have no need for me anymore. Being her friend would only make that even...worse. I can't be her friend."

"Well, I suppose what happens after all is said and done is up to her to decide," Edel warmly placed her hand on his shoulder. "She could decide she does want to be your friend even when she becomes Queen. You can't preemptively make that decision for her."

He sighed again. "I guess."

And here's another chapter. Like I said. I'll try to get one up about every two days.

Any ideas about what will happen? And where on earth is Rue? ;) Stick around and find out. teehee


End file.
